Conventionally, during a molding process, a molding material is placed into a pot and a plunger pushes the molding material through sprues and into a mold cavity. A clearance or a gap between an edge of the plunger and an inside edge or an inner wall of the pot has to be as close as possible without having the edge of the plunger touch a side wall of the pot. The number of sprues and the cross section of the sprues (or, a calculated area of all the sprues) will determine the dimensions of the minimum gap between the pot to the plunger. If the gap has a larger cross section than the calculated sprue area, then the molding material will take the path of least resistance and push up between the pot and plunger instead of flowing into the part cavity. This will create a scrap part. If the gap has a smaller cross section than the calculated sprue area, an operator of the mold press will have to pry the mold plates apart creating a potential unsafe work condition. One such conventional molding apparatus is disclosed in the U.S. Pat. No. 3,405,214 to Butts.
Accordingly, there is a need to resolve these and other problems related to the conventional molding systems.